New Nissan Murano to be built in Mississippi; 500 new jobs created

(May 29, 2014) CANTON, Miss. — Production of the all-new 2015 Nissan Murano crossover later this fall means 500 new jobs for Nissan's Vehicle Assembly Plant in Canton, Miss.

The 2015 Murano will be the first Murano produced in the United States and the eighth model assembled at Nissan's Canton plant. The plant will be the global source for Murano production, creating export opportunities to more than 100 markets.


Murano will be assembled on the same line as Xterra, Frontier, Titan and Armada and is the most technically advanced vehicle ever built in Canton.

"Recruiting efforts and preparations for the start of Murano production this fall are underway and current employees are excited to add this vehicle to the list of outstanding cars and trucks built in Mississippi," said John Martin, senior vice president, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Purchasing for Nissan North America. "The addition of Murano to our portfolio, coupled with the continued growth and success of the Canton plant, will move us even closer to
our goal to build more than 85 percent of the vehicles we sell in the U.S. right here in North America." 

Over the course of the last decade, the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant has transformed from a domestic manufacturer to a global one as Nissan has invested more than $2.6 billion in the plant. With the addition of these 500 new jobs, the plant will grow to support more than 6,000 manufacturing jobs for the first time in its nearly 11-year history. Additionally, the construction of a new on-site supplier park is expected to be completed later this fall in conjunction with the start of Murano production.

"Nissan is an engine for economic growth and development in Mississippi and continues to prove to the world that Mississippi Works. With the addition of more than 2,000 jobs and six new products at the Canton plant in just the last three years, the company is helping demonstrate the power of Mississippi's strong workforce and competitive business climate," said Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. "Nissan serves as a model for other innovative companies we are attracting to Mississippi."

Since the first U.S.-assembled vehicle, a white pickup truck, rolled off the assembly line in June 1983, Nissan's U.S. manufacturing footprint has steadily grown. The combination of vehicle assembly plants in Canton and Smyrna, Tenn., and a powertrain plant in Decherd, Tenn., have produced nearly 13 million vehicles, 8 million engines and created more than 15,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States.